Building a new Nepal: why the world must heed the lessons of Haiti
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Version 0 of 1. Watching footage of the devastation caused by the Nepal earthquake has brought back vivid memories of the moment, five years ago, when my office in Port-au-Prince collapsed around me during a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude quake. I will never the forget the dust, darkness and despair that threatened to overwhelm me as I was trapped for two hours in the ruins of Christian Aid’s Haiti headquarters. For those affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal, I have nothing but compassion and empathy. I have seen first-hand the extent of the pain and suffering brought by a disaster of such scale. Perhaps it’s not surprising that people are already beginning to draw parallels between Nepal and Haiti: both are among the world’s poorest countries lacking the infrastructure, resources and capacity to deal with such a crisis. Some commentators have already urged the international community not to “make the same mistakes” it made Haiti after the January 2010 disaster. As both a seasoned aid worker and a Haitian, I know the well-documented challenges of the post-earthquake efforts: problems around distribution of supplies, the influx of foreign aid agencies, the subsequent cholera outbreak and the countless debates over what happened to the £6bn pledged by foreign donors. However, Nepal is not Haiti, and 2015 is not 2010. Nepal has its own context, its own culture. The impact of each disaster is different. The Haiti earthquake killed approximately 220,000 people, displaced 1.5 million and destroyed or damaged 300,000 buildings. The death toll from the Nepal disaster is considerably lower, but a greater number – eight million people – have been badly affected. Nevertheless, there are some lessons we learned in Haiti that could be put to use in Nepal. The media focus on search and rescue distracts us from the real needs: shelter, food, water, medication. In Haiti, our focus was similarly misplaced. In the immediate aftermath of the 2010 disaster, constant coverage of specialised rescue teams created the impression that large numbers of people were being saved by outside help. In fact, according to a Haiti evaluation report, no more than 130 people were rescued from the rubble by international search-and-rescue efforts, described as a “tragically low” figure in a disaster in which hundreds of thousands were trapped. (As it happens, Haitians saved more than 5,000 people, myself included). Since 2010, the Haitian diaspora has contributed more than $10bn (£6.6bn) to the post-earthquake recovery, for instance through remittances. The media reports did not reflect this reality. Likewise, in the coming weeks and months the media needs to tell the whole story in Nepal. Rather than depicting foreign aid agencies as the only “heroes”, they must highlight the solidarity and support given by the Nepalese. The media must not depict foreign aid agencies as the only 'heroes', but highlight the solidarity of the Nepalese Regrettably, one major obstacle to the initial relief effort in Haiti was the lack of synchronisation and collaboration between foreign agencies and Haitians. For instance, central coordination meetings hosted by the UN were conducted in English – in a French and Creole-speaking country. This prevented many Haitians from participating effectively in the recovery process. In Nepal, all efforts must be made to conduct operations, taskforces and UN clusters in the local language, with such groups co-led by local institutions. The international community and NGOs must support them in delivering aid – and as part of this they need to consider when will be the best time to exit. Much of the billions of dollars pledged by foreign donors bypassed the Haitian people and government. Haitians were largely excluded from key decisions over how this money was spent. A tiny percentage of donor funds for reconstruction work was given to Haitian firms and local NGOs: it’s estimated that less than 0.6% of relief funds were channelled through Haitian hands. This must not be allowed to happen in Nepal. International donors agencies need to reduce the level of requirements for releasing aid funds and ensure contracts are made with local businesses, not international companies, where possible – so that the learning stays within the country. Donors agencies in Nepal should work closely with local organisations, NGOs and authorities, whatever their perceived limitations. Sadly, the lack of Haitians’ inclusion in the global relief effort has been one of the main obstacles of the past half-decade. Some, like the Inter-American Development Bank, are now taking steps to reverse this trend. Many INGOs are already doing an excellent job – including those belonging to the Disasters Emergency Committee. But I would urge all NGOs to focus their efforts on quality not quantity, and to resist the urge to set up new organisations in order to support the country. Take it from me: it doesn’t work. NGOs should focus efforts on quality not quantity, and resist the urge to set up new organisations Recent days have seen criticism of the Nepalese government’s speed and approach to the response. However, it’s easy to underestimate the overwhelming impact that a disaster like this has on all local structures, governments included. That’s why NGOs must work with the government to ensure they have the right systems in place to coordinate efforts effectively, supporting them to prevent pitfalls such as corruption and to facilitate the delivery of the right support to those who need it most urgently. In the meantime, I’d encourage careful thought to be given to health issues too. Some may think that vaccination against epidemics is not a priority now, but extreme vigilance is needed. The cholera outbreak that killed more than 8,000 people in Haiti in 2010 could have been avoided. If the past five years have demonstrated anything, it’s the importance of linking immediate and interim relief and rehabilitation work to longer-term development goals – Nepalese citizens must be empowered to participate in decisions over their own sustainable development. After a disaster of such magnitude, the task of reconstruction is never easy. Even in Haiti, the rebuilding work continues: more than 85,000 people still live in temporary camps. Full recovery takes time, and the same will be true of Nepal in a few years, after the photographers, film crews and aid agencies have moved on. As one Haitian blogger wrote this week, in his own letter to Nepal: “You are not victims – you are survivors … Your brothers and sisters in Haiti are here to tell you that the ground will stop shaking, the dust will settle, and you will live on to build a new Nepal.” |